The Cemetery Was Deserted
by My Secret Pleasure
Summary: One year has passed since the defeat of the Dark Lord. And there is one thing - well, maybe two - that Draco Malfoy can never forgive Harry Potter for.


The cemetery was deserted, which was not unusual considering that most people would not want to be outside on this particular day. Even though the reign of the Dark Lord no longer blackened the sky, and even though millions of insignificant lives still lived on happily, the superstition of the day remained. Because today was the day -one year ago- that Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord. Today was the day, one year ago, that countless brave witches and wizards died. The whole world was mourning; the whole world was remembering. Later tonight, or tomorrow morning depending on how you looked at it, there would be celebrations. Firecrackers of every kind would go off and every type of food imaginable would be eaten and music and dancing and hugging and kissing and laughing people would all come together. But right now in this cemetery all things were quiet. It was just as well, Draco thought. he was not in the mood for being with other people. He almost never was (in the mood for being with other people)

Draco partly blamed his un-social ness on his parents. For even after Draco's isolated childhood had ended with his eleventh birthday, he couldn't force himself to actually make that sickening effort to be friendly. Draco would have most definitely blamed Harry Potter on his un-socialness, -after all, Harry Potter had _turned down_ Draco's offer of friendship that first day in Hogwarts, and thereby severely wounding Draco's ego,- but Draco Malfoy would never admit that Harry Potter had any effect on his life at all.

_Aside from the fact that I'm no longer the son of a Death Eater_.

Draco slowly continued walking, the brisk bitter wind making his nose cold and his hands freeze. He should have brought a thicker coat.

In the weeks and months leading up to the final battle, Draco's life had spun out of control. It was too much trying to please the Dark Lord -and Lucius Malfoy- while at the same time trying to make sure he had a ticket onto the 'good side'.

And while Draco had always worshiped his father, and had always wanted to be exactly like his father (strong, brave, always in control) Draco had been slowly forced to meet the reality about Lucius Malfoy. Of course, Draco had known there were reasons the that son of Abraxas Malfoy was feared and respected (well, mostly feared), but those reasons had all been distant. Something to brag about, but never to face the reality of. Now Draco acutely perceived why his father was respected and feared and had seen Malfoy Senior doing what he did best: getting his way.

Draco wished that the man who was his father, was not the man whose attention he had always craved. Except he was. That was the problem. Because Draco _had_ always craved his father's love and attention, and that had not ended once Draco had gone along with Lucius on some of his more 'unsavory' business.

Lucius Malfoy had known for a long time that because of his closeness with Lord Voldemort he stood a larger risk of dying young than most people. In anticipation of his death, Lucius had arranged his will, funeral service, and even the gravestone. Lucius brought Draco with him to view the gravestone as it was ceremonially carved with magic.

At the time Draco found it sickening to watch the cold marble melted with magic that burned as fire. The coldness, and the smell, and morbidity of the entire affair disgusted him. Draco could now see the pragmatic advantage to planning out your own death. There was nothing to worry about when everything was taken care of.

Finally in the right back corner of the cemetery, tucked away, Draco reached the plain marble gravestone.

Draco was always resentful of Harry Potter. Harry Potter was the bravest of the brave, the purest of the pure; the Golden Boy; the Savior.

And while maybe -in some alternate reality- Draco Malfoy could have found it in himself to forgive Harry Potter of many things (God knows the Golden Boy was not actually perfect, and it was not totally Potter's fault there was a stupid scar on his forehead), in this reality, there were some things that Draco could never let go of. Some things Draco Malfoy would _never_ forgive Harry Potter for.

Harry Potter was always the best at everything (no matter how much Potter sucked at something, he always found a way to end up on top). Harry Potter was an attention hogging pig. .

Oh, Draco could go on like this for hours. But, of course, there was always a grand finale at the end. The two acts Draco knew for sure, he would always hate Harry Potter for:

First, Harry Potter had ruined and disgraced the Malfoy name. He had made is so the Malfoy's were no longer one of the most respected and powerful families in the wizarding world.

And second, in the final battle, Harry Potter had killed Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's father.

Draco turned his face away for a moment from the gravestone, staring out at the dark trees. His eyes burned, but he tried to ignore the sensation along with the panicky feeling that went with it.

Lucius Malfoy had been the one to throw the Malfoy family into suspicion and ruin, therefore it seemed fitting that Lucius Malfoy was the only person who could, in return, maneuver the Malfoy family back onto solid, safe, sunlit ground. None could deny that he had been a master business man and socialite.

Of course, there was a reason that Lucius was in the ground and Draco was not. Draco did not know the reason, but there was one, of that he was sure.

Draco bent down and laid a solitary orchid on his father's grave.

_Lucius Malfoy_

_Husband, Father,_

_Faithful until the end_

"Draco," a voice called from a distant.

Draco turned and walked to where

Harry Potter was standing.

* * *

Authors Note: Please tell me what you think! I highly appreciate constructuve criticism (although please, don't tell me my grammar sucks. I already know it does.). I have written fanfics before, but only fluffy crap, and I have never written about Draco Malfoy. I would love to start writing a bit more seriously and I definitely need some feedback on it. I know this work isn't perfect. Thank you for reading it.


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